250 CLASS DIADELPHIA. 



often 5 parted, corolla 5 petalled, inserted on the calyx, con- 

 sisting of a banner, two wings and a keel ; stamens generally 

 10, mostly united into two sets, 9 and 1 ; germ free ; style 1 ; 

 legume generally '2 valved, 1 celled, sometimes transversely 

 divided into many cells, seeds affixed to the edge on one side. 



At Fig. 120, 0, is a flower of this kind ; b % shews the sta- 

 mens divested of their petals ; c, shews the pistil, the germ 

 already exhibiting the form and appearance of the legume. 



In this large family of plants with leguminous pods are many 

 of great importance in the vegetable kingdom ; but when we 

 are able to give some general natural characters, there seems 

 to be less need of particularizing each genus. This circum- 

 stance of being able in description, to include the general 

 characters of the plants of a large order in this class, shows it 

 to be composed of a natural assemblage. The singular form 

 of the corolla and the nature of the fruit, with few exceptions, 

 settle the character of this class. 



We have here many important plants which serve for food 

 to man. The most savage nations usually pay some attention 

 to Diadelphous plants. When Ferdinand de Soto marched 

 his army into Florida, before the middle of the 16th century, 

 he found the granaries of the natives well stored with Indian 

 corn and certain " leguminous seeds ;" which were probably 

 the Lima bean (Dolichos), or some species of that genus ; for 

 the natives still continue to cultivate them. 



This class furnishes valuable medicinal articles ; as the li- 

 quorice and snake-root. It also furnishes us with plants for 

 dyeing ; as the Indigo (!NDIGOFERA tinctoria), this is to be dis- 

 tinguished from the Wild Indigo (Baptisia), which during tho 

 revolutionary war was used for colouring. Some plants of 

 this class seem to possess active properties ; the seeds of the 

 Lupine are said to be poisonous. A traveller states, that tho 

 inhabitants of the banks of the Nile, are often visited in the 

 night by the hippopotamus or river horse, a large animal 

 which does great damage to the gardens and fields ; and that 

 they destroy the animal by placing a quantity of the Lupine 

 seeds near where he is expected ; these he devours greedily ; 

 they soon swell in his stomach and distend it so much as to 

 cause death. 



The Furze (ULEX Eurojxms), is a very common plant in 

 Europe, though not found so far north as Sweden. It is a 

 flower of beautiful appearance ; so much so, that Linnaeus, as 

 is said, when he first beheld it, fell upon his knees, in a trans- 



- General character of the order What circumstance shows this order to be 

 composed of a natural assemblage ? These plants useful for food For Medi- 

 cine, &c. Furze. 



